Bai Xin Yue was enjoying the juice while watching her grandfather and her father arguing.
Her grandfather was insisting Heero was a good material while her father was still suspicious of Heero's origin.
"Dear, if you are going to marry him to have him protect our family, then you don't need to marry him. I am alone enough!" Bai Tian Ming knew he could not convince his father so he turned toward his daughter.
Bai Xin Yue shook her head as she put the straw into her delicate mouth. She, shaking her head meaning that was not her reason.
"I know! I admit he is a little…" Bai Tian Ming motioned with his finger, "Only a little, he's a little stronger than me. With or without him, there's no difference!"
*Giggle*
"I know this will hurt your pride, Father! But I can tell you…" Bai Xin Yue got closer to her father and whispered, "He's not only a little but much stronger than you, "
"I was his apprentice before his wife, so I can tell that…" A mischievous smile crept out, "He's much stronger than you, "
Then she leaned back on her seat and added, "And I am not marrying because I want to use him to protect our family. I want to marry him because it's him, not for any other reasons!"
"As for our family, I will protect it with my own hands!" Bai Xin Yue stated firmly while clenching her first.
'Though those people have to confront your husband now, so they would not spare a glance at us…' Bai Xian Ming thought to himself.
Looking at how his daughter was truly marrying the man because she loved him, Bai Tian Ming let out a defeated sigh. Just like his father said, he saw his shadow in his daughter.
As he was about to speak something, the door was knocked thrice.
Dok! Dok! Dok!
The door was opened, Heero and the guests arrived.
*** ***
The talk between the two old men was smooth with his presence. Somehow, they agreed on the terms and would make it official two days later.
To summarize the meeting, the Hero League would hire the Purple Mountain People. Hunting the specters inside and outside of the city.
The Hero League would pay them with money, but the two old men had not yet agreed with the pay. Like how much the Purple Mountain Tribe would get per head of the specter.
The Purple Mountain Tribe was using the old Dramonia level standard to measure the specter's level power while the Hero League was still clueless about the specter.
That was why they could not seal the deal until they reached an agreement with this. Hence they set up a meeting again in two days.
The talk was unexpectedly smooth, but not with the meeting with in-laws. Heero could feel the intense stare and atmosphere directed to him.
Two middle-aged men stared at him with an intense gaze, Bai Tian Ming and Kang Yun-Soo.
Heero was sitting in the middle of Kang Seo-Yeon and Bai Xin Yue. He understood behind the course of Bai Tian Ming's action, but not with Kang Yun-Soo.
He was just Kang Seo-Yeon's uncle. Why would he be so concerned about his niece as if she was his daughter?
"Don't tell me he…" Heero blurted out in a low voice.
His writer's imagination sparked with a cliche yet ironic plot of a novel. The kind of setting that was used as an antagonist backstory.
It turned out that Kang Seo-Yeon was Kang Yun-Soo's daughter. A result of an affair between sister-in-law and brother-in-law. The uncle would use the daughter to take the Kang Family's throne.
"What's wrong?" Kang Seo-Yeon asked as she heard him. Bai Xin Yue also turned her head toward him.
Then Heero told them his wild conjecture about what he was thinking about. Of course, it was joking-intended.
Sure enough, it incited the girls' laughter. Both were laughing at his theory.
"It's because my uncle only has sons. He does not have a daughter hence he spoiled us so much, me and Myung-Hee, "
"Unfortunately, he became busy with his business and often traveled outside the city, spending less time with us. That's why Myung-Hee ran off from home, " Kang Seo-Yeon explained.
The two families, the Bai and the Kang were having a friendly chat until out of the blue, Kang Yun-Soo turned his attention to the main character in the dinner.
"You are Xing Heero?"
"Correct!" Heero straightened his back and replied with confidence.
The first good impression was important in the first meeting with in-laws. That was what his gentle wife, Han Ying told him about meeting in-laws. He followed her wife's advice.
"I heard you already have two wives!"
"Indeed, one lovely and the other one gentle!" He nodded his head.
"Divorce them and then we will approve your marriage with our Seo-Yeon!" Kang Yun-Soo's eyes turned sharp as he said those words out.
However, Heero merely smiled at the middle-aged man who was currently testing him.
"Hoho… I will choose the second option! Marrying the Fiery Goddess and keeping my two wives by my side! I mean, I have pocketed my mother-in-law's approval, right mother Sang-Hee?"
Heero winked his eyes at Kang Sang-Hee and the latter returned with a wink as well.
Kang Sang-Hee had been staying in the Xing District for a few months. In fact, he hired her as the district's manager. Both were very close already.
"Moreover, my father-in-law also does not have any objection as well as Grandpa Kang!"
Kang Myung-Chul and Kang Yun-Cheol nodded their heads with a smile. Clearly, they were happy with the marriage as well.
This left Kang Yun-Soo speechless and frustratingly thought, 'Can you see me testing him? Why don't you guys play along!'
The middle-aged man leaned back as if he was defeated in a war.
"Then what about me? I haven't given my approval yet!" This time it was Bai Tian Ming's turn. He came with a strong and intimidating aura.
"Oh, really!? Then could you be lying to me, dear?" Heero turned toward Bai Xin Yue, causing the latter to panic a little bit.
"Of course not, dear. He was just testing you, " An immediate reply escaped her mouth.
"Oh, it was just a test… I see…" Heero turned toward his father-in-law with a victorious grin.
'Oh my God… She has been smitten by him… You can't let that happen, oh my sister! You have to control him not otherwise!'
Bai Shuang'er said that to herself.
"Ah, My Master is truly good at everything, " Sun Zhou Yi who sat next to Bai Shuang'er commented admiringly.
"Indeed! You Master is truly good at everything, but you are not bad as well, honey~, " She praised her boyfriend.
The dinner continued with Heero controlling the flow, gaining everyone's good impression of his father-in-law and uncle-in-law. He somehow managed to please both at the end of the dinner.
*** ***
On the other side
Xu Lingxun snuck into the core region, alone. He wore all black that perfectly blended well blending with the dark night.
It had become his routine to sneak to the core region. Part of his training for his revenge plan.
But tonight, he was not coming for his training, but for another purpose. Gathering evidence for his next target.
"Kim Han-Pyo, 48, and Master Instructor! Every Thursday night he would stay at his private residence in the core region!"
Xu Lingxun mumbled as his eyes fixated at the luxurious residence.
"Let's see what you have inside!"
Heero said the cleansing was two weeks later, but he had started the investigation tonight. With Master Instructor Kim Han-Pyo as the first target, the man who crossed a path when Heero started his first-day work at the Hero League.